quvsquãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: qu is a noun, quão is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“qu” is a noun and “quão” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,802
“qu” frequency rank
#2,849
“quão” frequency rank
9651
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature qu quão
Definition cisne exprime intensidade: quanto, como

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set qu and quão apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
qu
4 ch
quão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: qu is anoun and quãoanadverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “qu” sits inside “quão”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9651, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

qu is recorded at frequency rank #6,802, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡu]. quão is at rank #2,849, tagged as anadv.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 9651, this pair ranks #63,715 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of qu vs quão

Shared letters: qu. Private to "qu": -. Private to "quão": .

"qu" · 2 letters · shape CV  ·  "quão" · 4 letters · shape CVVV

Frequency comparison

qu#6,802
quão#2,849

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "qu" and "quão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "qu" is a noun and "quão" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "qu" or "quão"?
"quão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,849 in our Portuguese list, against #6,802 for "qu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering qu vs quão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “qu”; for an adverb, it's “quão”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “qu” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list